Student paramedic who led Manchester bombing medical efforts hailed as ‘hero’ at inquiry

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Inquiry chair Sir John Saunders said on Wednesday that the then-student was one of “a number of heroes” from the attack, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds of others. “I appreciate that we should be triaging first without providing any treatment,” Mr Billington told the public inquiry into the attack. I instructed everybody, families, police, anybody there that was able to carry a person to use whatever they could to start getting patients to ambulances if possible.” He also told counsel to the inquiry, Paul Greaney QC, that he stayed in the City Room for “as long as I could until I believed all the patients, or the majority of the patients, that were still alive were downstairs near the casualty clearing area.” Although Mr Billington said he had previously received training on dealing with blast injuries and the triage process, he noted that this had not come from his then-employers, Emergency Training UK, who carried out medical services for the arena's operator SMG. “I don't believe a first aid at work course which is geared to help me treat my colleague that has cut a finger at their desk was anywhere near as much training as somebody should receive who is going to go on and deal with a major incident,” he told the inquiry.